Acupuncture and meditation for glaucoma treatment

Dear Dr. Kondrot,

I would like to know how effficient the following alternative approaches for IOP reduction and glaucoma treatment:

- acupuncture

- chinese herbs

- meditation

Thank you very much.

Hi vis01. Thanks for posting. I would also like to know Dr. Kondrot's opinion on the options you listed. However, I also want to point out that this forum is primarily a self-help forum where patients will interact with each other to discuss their own experiences. I'm posting this not so much for you individually as for future readers of the forum. Dr. Kondrot will certainly jump in when he has time, but he will not answer every question, nor should every question be directed to Dr. Kondrot as I'm sure you already understand.

Since this is a self-help forum, I'll share my brief opinions on the treatment options you listed (even though I know that you individually already know my opinion through private emails ;)

I have experimented with all these treatment options. Here are my comments:

From the research one would think that acupuncture might be the most effective of all these options in the short term. However, my own experience and the experience of others I have been in contact with has been disappointing. I continue to be interested in acupuncture and I assume with diligent investigation we might find out why we are not getting the intraocular pressure reduction the research indicates we should. (See New Research on Acupuncture and Eye Pressure Presented at ARVO).

All herbs and nutritional techniques I have investigated so far has had little or no impact on my IOP. However, I consider myself to be "in the long tail" in terms of nutrition. I probably eat healthier than 99% of the US population and that was true even before I was diagnosed with glaucoma. Therefore, nutrition, including chinese herbs might be more effective for someone who starts off without a sound basis in nutrition. I'll be interested in hearing others experiences with herbs and nutrition. And I do believe that if I stopped eating so well and stopped taking the nutritional supplements (including herbs) that I have taken most of my life, I would suffer detrimental effects in my vision and intraocular pressure eventually.

There is no published research on meditation and intraocular pressure that I know of. I believe the right meditation techniques ultimately have the best long range potential for reducing intraocular pressure of all the options you listed. This is because the right meditation technique can (eventually) help bring awareness of the factors that underlie each individual's development of glaucoma. This is a complex issue that requires a deeper discussion. Please forgive me for not explaining it in full right now. However, the point I want to make right now is that the wrong meditation technique (or even the right technique performed with less than the right skill/technique) can be harmful to one's intraocular pressure.

As one example of meditation's potentially negative impact on eye pressure, see this post in my blog:

Transcendental Meditation Increases My IOP

I have since learned that most meditation techniques increase my intraocular pressure. And I have further learned the reason for that and how to prevent it. This is a very, very complex subject that has taken me more than 15 years to begin to understand. My advice to anyone with glaucoma is to monitor their intraocular pressure frequently while performing any meditation (or any other self-help practices) and find out what the real results are. Otherwise you are keeping yourself in the dark. Meditation performed incorrectly (even slightly or very subtly incorrectly) can double my eye pressure (and it will stay elevated for a long time afterwards). However, I believe that the right meditation technique performed in the right way can dramatically reduce eye pressure. The issues involved are so subtle that I doubt they can be conveyed in writing. I think personal instruction is required when it comes to using meditation to reduce intraocular pressure. On the other hand, if you have a professional quality tonometer, you can find out for yourself what the effect of meditation is. I believe it will be somewhat different for different people and maybe some people will have an easier time avoiding the side effects of meditation than I did. Now that I have overcome these adverse effects, I am beginning new research into the effectiveness of meditation for reducing eye pressure - as I said, I believe it is the most powerful option of all those you listed in the long run. If your initial results are not satisfactory, find someone who can work with you in person to help you achieve the positive results from meditation that I know are possible.